1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a simulated steering apparatus, for recreation or for driver training, that imitates the steering apparatus of an actual vehicle that is operated by a driver; and in particular, the present invention pertains to a simulated steering apparatus that is so designed that it provides a player or a driving trainee (hereafter referred to as an "operator") steering reaction force in the direction that is the opposite of the steering direction when a steering wheel is shifted from the neutral state either to the right or to the left.
2. Related Arts
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 2-271382 is described a conventional simulated steering apparatus that is so designed that it provides an operator the steering reaction force, in the direction opposite to the steering direction, that corresponds to the road surface condition, the travel speed, etc., during simulated driving.
In a simulated steering apparatus, as prior art, that is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 2-271382, a motor is coupled with a steering shaft. Also, since the motor and the steering shaft are coupled together by a transmission mechanism, a torque, which is generated by the motor, is transmitted unchanged to an operator via the steering shaft and a steering wheel.
As the torque of the motor and the rotational speed must therefore be delicately controlled by a computer, a computer having a high performance is required and manufacturing costs for such a simulated steering apparatus are accordingly increased.